More than 8,000 Chinese delegates participated in a ceremony to pay tribute to their ancestors at the Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Expo on the occasion of "Qingming", or Tomb Sweeping Festival.

This year's Ancestor-Worshipping Ceremony on Sunday drew the largest group of participants, all clad in long, brown robes and hailing from the Chinese mainland, Malaysia, and Singapore, among other places.

It marked the fourth year that thousands of Chinese of various religious beliefs gathered in Hong Kong on this solemn occasion, for the commemoration ceremony organized by Sage Education Association, a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting traditional culture. Among the participants were members and leaders of the Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian religions.

The ritual consisted of a series of traditional procedures including "inviting the spirits of the ancestors", "triple sacrifice", "inviting the ancestors for a feast" and "sending the ancestors off".

The commemorative activity is a tradition that some call "Chinese Thanksgiving". It aims to pay respect and express gratitude to ancestors, as the Chinese often believe that the efforts of their forebears contributed to their present bliss and prosperity.

Among the guests was Chin Kung, a venerable Buddhist master and an adjunct professor of the University of Queensland on Mahayana Buddhism, who is a major figure in promoting the revival of the ancestors commemoration ritual. He encouraged the audience not to forget about respecting their parents during the festival.

"If we can pay our respects to ancestors from generations ago, why can't we remember to pay respect to our parents?" Chin Kung said during a lecture at the venue.

The ritual is also a way to remind people to be conscious of the Chinese culture and such virtues as honesty, being humble and faithful, and so forth, said Liu Yuli, a philosophy professor at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China.

"We hope that events such as this would also help Hong Kong people understand Chinese culture and the good spirit of it. It is a way of understanding the nation and building up a sense of national identity," Liu said.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a member of the city's Executive Council, was this year's chief ceremony officer.

Also attending the ritual were Zhou Li, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, Florence Hui Hiu-fai, undersecretary of home affairs, Li Guangxiang, deputy director-general of the Legal Affairs Department, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, among other representatives of officials, media organizations and religious groups.

andrea@chinadailyhk.com

The ceremony is a multi-religious event intended to familiarize people with Chinese culture. Roy Liu/ China Daily

Participants at the ceremony included political heavyweights and representatives from media and religious groups.

More than 8,000 Chinese from the Chinese mainland, Malaysia, Singapore and other nations and regions participated in the commemorative ritual for ancestors at the Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Expo.

The commemorative ritual is a way to not only show respect and appreciation to ancestors, but to revive an integral part of Chinese culture.

Zhou Li (third from right, front), publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, participated in the ceremony as a guest.

Executive Council member Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee acted as chief ceremony officer during this year's Ancestor-Worshipping Ceremony to mark the "Qingming" or Tomb Sweeping Festival.

The audience listened attentively to religious lectures.

Performance of the Chinese instrument orchestra added to the grandeur of the occasion.

The audience stood up to watch as the solemn rituals began.

The rituals for the ceremony consisted of 12 parts, including "inviting the ancestors for a feast".

The commemorative rituals included "inviting the spirits of ancestors".

(HK Edition 04/06/2015 page10)